Month: March 2016

Important: UVM Cold-climate grape industry survey due April 15.

Tim:

Feel free to forward this to other NGP affiliates. Even though it refers to ‘Vermont and surrounding areas’, I am not against others filling it out so long as they enter their state so that I can sort the data.

Thanks, Terry

By: Terence Bradshaw

The University of Vermont Grape Program is conducting a survey of cold-climate grape producers to assess cultivar, training system, and yield patterns in Vermont and surrounding states’ vineyards. Producers from Vermont, other New England states, and northern New York are invited to participate. Results from the survey will inform important activities in support of grape and wine producers in the region. For example, we recently submitted a letter of intent to the Vermont Specialty Crops Block Grants Program to conduct research on issues relevant to our maturing industry, including evaluation of promising new cultivars and adaptation of pruning and training systems that address needs of mature vineyards. Another recently-funded project through the Northeast IPM Center submitted by Team member Dr. Ann Hazelrigg will develop a Pest Management Strategic Plan for cold-climate grapes. This thorough survey of vineyards in the region will provide important data that will guide these and other projects. In addition, data from the survey, including prices received by growers for cold-climate cultivars, may be used to develop realistic revenue estimates for use in crop insurance programs.

The survey may be found at: https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php/229889/lang-en.

It will not take long to take the survey, but it would be helpful to have records on planting date, cultivar, training system, and yield available when you complete it. The survey has been approved by the UVM Institutional Research Board and all data is collected anonymously and no information identifiable to specific vineyards will be collected or published in any resulting reports. The survey will be open until April 15.

Thank you for your participation and feel free to distribute the link to other growers in the region.

April 12th Northern Grapes Project Webinar Announcement and Registration

The Northern Grapes Project Webinar Series

“Northern Grapes Project Research Results: Fungicide Sensitivity and Vine Nutrition of Cold-Hardy Cultivars”

 

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

12:00 Noon Eastern (11:00 am Central)

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central)

Join Patricia McManus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Carl Rosen of the University of Minnesota as they discuss results of their Northern Grapes Project research. Patty’s presentation will summarize four years of field trials that focused on determining the sensitivity of popular cold-hardy cultivars to fungicides, including copper, sulfur, and difenoconazole. Carl’s presentation will summarize three years of research on tissue analysis of cold hardy grapes grown in 16 locations spanning five states. Nutrient diagnostic criteria will be presented for petiole, blade, and whole leaves collected at bloom and veraison and relationships between soil properties/tissue nutrient concentrations and grape juice quality will be discussed.

If you have received this email from someone other than Chrislyn Particka, you need to register via the link below:

https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bsdhmqRd13JqYNT

Registering for one Northern Grapes Webinar will place you on the mailing list, and you will receive announcements and connection instruction for all further Northern Grapes Webinars.

Registration will close at 8 am (Eastern) on Friday, April 8th.

Registration is NOT required if you received this email directly from Chrislyn Particka, as it means that you are a member of the Northern Grapes Webinar mailing list.

All members of the Northern Grapes Webinar mailing list will receive an email the Friday before the webinar containing the web address (URL) for both webinar sessions as well as connection instructions.

There is no charge for this webinar. If you cannot attend one of the live sessions, recordings of all webinars are posted on our website (http://northerngrapesproject.org/?page_id=257) within one week of the webinar date.

Feel free to email Chrislyn Particka (cap297) with any questions, if you want to check your registration status, or if you’d like to be removed from the Northern Grapes Webinar mailing list.

Please note: WebEx will no longer be supporting the following operating systems:
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows XP
• Mac OS X 10.6
This means that WebEx users will be unable to join or start WebEx meetings, or use any other WebEx application from computers that use these operating systems. Please upgrade computers to a supported operating system so you can continue to use WebEx without interruption.

Further Northern Grapes Project information is available on-line at

 

The Northern Grapes Project is funded by the USDA’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative Program of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Project #2011-51181-30850.

Chrislyn A. Particka, PhD

Extension Support Specialist

Cornell University

School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section

630 W. North Street

Geneva, NY 14456

cap297

www.northerngrapesproject.org

Primary bud winter injury low on grapes in UVM vineyard

By Terence Bradshaw

As we all know, the winter of 2015-2016 in Vermont was largely a bust, with (virtually) no snow and generally warm temperatures. The no snow factor would have been concerning if we had extended periods of sub-zero temperatures, but with the exception of February 13-14 when we recorded temperatures of -13-14°F in South Burlington, that deep freeze didn’t come. Thankfully, the warm weather experienced in early March has subsided, and vines are not showing any sign of premature bud break. The extended weather looks to remain relatively cool, but a warmup is expected to begin next week. It’s time to wrap up pruning in Vermont vineyards in the next few weeks.

Growers should aim for a balanced vine during pruning, leaving 4-6 buds per foot of canopy. This would be adjusted up in cases of high primary bud mortality from winter cold damage, but damage observed at the UVM vineyard was generally below the 15% threshold where we consider leaving additional buds to compensate for those that were damaged. 2016 Primary Bud Mortality can be found at: http://www.uvm.edu/~fruit/grapes/uvmvineyard/2016UVMwinterbudinjury.pdf.

We encourage growers to collect their own primary bud mortality data prior to pruning, if possible. The procedure is fairly quick and requires no special equipment besides a hand lens or magnifying viewer. A helpful video from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Finger Lakes Grape Program that outlines the process may be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RHJ5mY3fAs .

Latest Tree Fruit management guide updates

By Terence Bradshaw

As mentioned at the 2016 VT Tree Fruit Growers Association meeting in February, there will be no reprint of the New England Tree Fruit Management Guide in 2016. 2015 guides are still available at: https://www.regonline.com/newenglandtreefruitmanagementguide.

The attached document contains any changes in chemical registrations that we know of to-date, and may be printed and kept as an addendum to the guide. Thanks go to Mary Conklin, Heather Faubert, Jon Clements, Glen Koehler, and the other authors of the guide for help in compiling the information.

2016 Tree Fruit Management Guide Updates.pdf

Second ‘Clean Plants for the Future’ Webinar: Viral diseases transmitted through nursery stock in the East: Grapevine leafroll disease, tomato ringspot, and grapevine red blotch

Thursday, March 17

Register at: http://tinyurl.com/NCPNgrapes

Weekly on Thursdays at Noon Eastern, March 10 – 31

Preregistration required. Register at: http://tinyurl.com/NCPNgrapes

The webinars are free of charge, but you must be registered by noon the Wednesday before the webinar to receive connection instructions. Registering for one webinar will ensure that you will receive connection instructions for all future webinars. You may contact Chrislyn Particka with any questions or if you need assistance registering.

2. Viral diseases transmitted through nursery stock in the East: Grapevine leafroll disease, tomato ringspot, and grapevine red blotch
March 17, 2016, Noon to 1:15 PM Eastern DST (Note change to daylight savings time)

Marc Fuchs, Cornell University
Annemiek Schilder, Michigan State University
Mizuho Nita, Virginia Tech

Several viral pathogens are common in Eastern vineyards. Tomato ringspot impacted own-rooted hybrids planted in 70s and 80s; Leafroll disease may be the most significant current problem, and Grapevine Red Blotch is a newly-identified issue. Pathologists in New York, Michigan, and Virginia have surveyed vineyards to determine their prevalence and impact.

  • Biology, Transmission, and Impact in New York (Marc Fuchs, Cornell University)
  • Impact in Michigan and Virginia (Annemiek Schilder, Michigan State University and Mizuho Nita, Virginia Tech)

For more information about the series: Clean Plants for the Future of the Eastern Grape and Wine Industry

Timothy E. Martinson, Ph.D

Senior Extension Associate

Section of Horticulture,School of Integrative Plant Science

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

Cornell University

PH 315-787-2448

FAX: 315-787-2216

Cell: 607-592-2616

http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/people/timothy-martinson

2016 Vermont apple season soon underway

By Terence Bradshaw

In contrast to the rest of the population, those of us in the fruit growing community hate warm March weather, and this year looks like another which will potentially give s us early bud break and much stress over the sudden loss of time to get dormant-season work done and the increased risk of weather-related issues during bloom (I don’t like to say the f-word at this time of year). Reports out of the Hudson Valley suggest that they may see green tip this weekend, at least in the southern part of the region. I wouldn’t translate that to suggest that we will see green tip in the immediate future, but it’s coming. I did a very quick comparison of accumulated and projected degree days at the UVM Hort Farm in South Burlington, VT and Marlboro, NY in the lower Hudson Valley of New York. Weather models to predict early season phenology stages prior to bloom are not well-developed or published, but in general, models use a base of 4°C (which I have rounded to 40°F) above which tree phenological development occurs. Remember that this is quick and dirty: I used the simplest method to calculate degree days ((daily max temp + daily min temp) /2 – base temperature); I used a combination of NEWA and weather.com forecast data; my base temperature is somewhat arbitrary; and I’m only making comparisons based on a limited time scale and set of farms. Accumulated degree days in South Burlington as of yesterday were 24.8, contrasted to 57.4 for Marlboro, NY. If green tip were to come in the southern Hudson Valley this weekend, that would be at around 80-90 DDb40°F (accumulated degree days at base 40°F). Based on weather predictions, we would have acquired around 50 DDb40°F by March 20 (the end of the ten-day forecast). Compare that to the spring of 2012, when the odd warm March temperatures were in the 80s rather than the 60s, and green tip was observed at the Hort Farm on March 19 with 106 accumulated DDb40°F.

My point here is that we should expect an early spring based on past and predicted weather, but we likely won’t see green tip (and the beginning of the pest management season) until after April 1 in Vermont based on my very rough guess. This gives growers time to get caught up and ready for spray season, so don’t be complacent.

Given the generally heavy crop in Vermont orchards in 2015, fruit bud density is expected to be relatively low this year. That means that pruning can be a little lighter to compensate for fewer fruit buds. That doesn’t give license to ignore your end of season pruning, but suggests that trees may be breezed through a little quicker if you have wrap up pruning to do. The winter has been generally good for outdoor work, so most orchards should be easily caught-up. My take home: get finished up in the next two weeks, then get ready for spraying season. After the soil dries a bit (and hoping that this early mud season is truly early and not just extended), push your pruning brush or flail mow in-place for high density plantings with smaller pruning wood. Calibrate your sprayer. Get your early season spray materials ordered and on-hand for when the season starts. No really, calibrate your sprayer. Be ready to properly oil the orchard if you have had any issues with mite flareups or San Jose scale, the latter of which I have seen not only in orchards but also on fruit in grocery stores. Remember that oil should go on at full dilute or no more than 2x concentration to be most effective; I’ll discuss that further in a future message. So when you calibrate your sprayer, be sure to reserve a setting for high-volume applications, either by switching to higher-output nozzles, reducing travel speed, or both.

March Northern Grapes Project News You Can Use – 2016 Northern Grapes Symposium

http://northerngrapesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/March-2016-News-You-Can-Use-NG-Symposium.pdf

News You Can Use

2016 Northern Grapes Symposium

March 2016

Erin Norton of Iowa State University pours La Crescent during

the cold hardy white wines tasting session.

Photo: Lani McKinney

The 2016 Northern Grapes Symposium was hosted by the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Conference on February 24th in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Nine Northern Grapes Project team members lead six sessions, encompassing all four of the projects’ objectives. Some of the talks focused on results of specific research projects, such as training systems studies, deacidification strategies for cold hardy wines, and marketing, branding, and tasting room studies. Others, however, were more general in nature, and covered topics such as the past 15 years of viticulture in Iowa and the viticultural and enological characteristics of Marquette, Frontenac, Brianna, and La Crescent, including tasting two examples of each wine.

Below are links to all of the presentations given at the 2016 Northern Grapes Symposium:

Fifteen years of trials, tribulations, and successes in Iowa viticulture.

Mike White, Iowa State University.

Making quality wines from high acid grapes: Yeast selection and deacidification.

Anna Katharine Mansfield and Claire Burtch, Cornell University

Brianna and La Crescent: Viticulture, enology, and tasting.

Jim Luby, University of Minnesota and Murli Dharmadhikari, Iowa State University

Marquette and Frontenac: Viticulture, fruit ripening, enology, and tasting.

Jim Luby, University of Minnesota; Murli Dharmadhikari, Iowa State University; and Anne Fennell, South Dakota State University

Managing Frontenac and Marquette for profitability and quality: Training systems, recovering from winter and spring frost injury.

Tim Martinson, Cornell University and Paolo Sabbatini, Michigan State University

Marketing, branding, tasting room studies with cold hardy wines.

Bill Gartner, University of Minnesota and Dan McCole, Michigan State University

We would like to thank the following wineries for donating or providing wines at a reduced cost for our symposium: Coyote Moon Vineyards, Clayton, New York; Fireside Winery, Marengo, Iowa; Flying Otter Vineyard and Winery, Adrian, Michigan; Northern Sun Winery, Bark River, Michigan; Parley Lake Winery, Waconia, Minnesota; Shelburne Vineyard, Shelburne, Vermont; Staller Estate Winery, Delavan, Wisconsin; Tucker’s Walk Vineyard, Garretson, South Dakota.

The Northern Grapes Project is funded by the USDA’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative Program of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Project #2011-51181-30850

Chrislyn A. Particka, PhD

Extension Support Specialist

Cornell University

School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section

630 W. North Street

Geneva, NY 14456

cap297

www.northerngrapesproject.org

2016 Initial Pesticide Applicator’s Certification Training

2016 Initial Vermont Pesticide Applicator’s Certification Meeting

This opportunity is open to new pesticide applicators who wish to review training materials and take the core exam in one sitting.

Two site options are available. YOU ONLY NEED TO ATTEND ONE SITE.

Burlington, VT
April 11, 2016
Robert Miller Community Center, 130 Gosse Court
~ or ~
White River Junction, VT
April 14, 2016
VFW Post 2571, 97 South Main Street

Meeting will be held from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at each location

Sponsored by UVM Extension and Vermont Agency of Agriculture with financial support from the USDA Risk Management Agency

New for 2016
*Two site options are now available. YOU ONLY NEED TO ATTEND ONE SITE. Please choose site during registration.
*Registration is ONLINE ONLY. Please see links for each site below.
*Lunch will NOT be provided. You may bring your own or leave during the break to seek other options. Kitchen facilities are not available.

Program Overview
*This program will provide training and review of Vermont Pesticide regulations and the information covered in the Pesticide Applicator Training Manual that is necessary to understand and to pass the VT pesticide certification license exam.
*The Core exam will be given after this training in the afternoon from 2-4pm. (No category exams will be given but can be scheduled with VAA for a later date.) *Coffee and pastries provided. Lunch on your own (see ‘New for 2016’).

Audience
This meeting is for anyone wishing a Vermont Pesticide Applicator license:
Nursery employees, landscapers, school custodial staff, farmers, garden center employees, pest control operators, government or municipal employees, university employees, etc.

Pesticide Applicators
This program will provide two Vermont recertification credits.

Speakers
Topics will be presented by members of UVM Extension and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

Study Materials
It is necessary to study the Core manual BEFORE the review to have all the knowledge necessary to pass the exam. Core manuals ($41) and required inserts must be obtained in advance from http://agriculture.vermont.gov/pesticide_regulation/applicator_dealer_resources.

REGISTRAION

Registration fee is $30.
After April 1st, Late Registration is $40.
Space is limited so register early!

Register ONLINE for BURLINGTON at:
https://www.regonline.com/2016initialcertburlington
~ or ~
Register ONLINE for WHITE RIVER JCT at:
https://www.regonline.com/2016initialcertwhiteriverjct

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Sarah Kingsley-Richards at (802) 656-0475 by April 1, 2014 so we may assist you.

Questions?
Please contact Sarah Kingsley-Richards at (802) 656-0475 or sarah.kingsley@uvm.edu with questions or visit http://pss.uvm.edu/pesp/ for more information.

“This institution is an equal opportunity provider” Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.

Reminder: Northeastern NY and VT Grape School, March 17 in Lake George, NY

2016 Northeastern New York and Vermont Winter Grape School
Details and registration information: http://enych.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=486

The ENYCHP and the UVM Grape Program is offering a one day educational program on Cold Climate Grapes for current or prospective growers in Northeastern NY and VT.

Program:
The program will offer 2 concurrent tracks.
We hope each operation will be able to send 2 people – one for each track!

Full agenda is available in pdf format.

Viticulture Track:
Anna Wallis & Terence Bradshaw
Vineyard Practices, Marketing, &
Business Management

Enology Track:
Anna Katharine Mansfield & Chris Gerling
Winemaking Techniques: Managing Acids and Polyphenolics

March 17, 2016
8:00am-4:00pm
Holiday Inn Lake George
2223 Canada St (US Route 9)
Lake George, NY 12845

$30.00 Registration